


Merlin Leap Year AU

by I_have_more_ships_than_friends



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur is Anna, Explicit Language, First Kiss, I Tried, Kissing, Lady Vivian is Jeremy, Making Out, Merlin is Declan, Multi, Rating May Change, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, This was a random idea I had at 2 in the morning, i can't summary, i can't title to save my life, im sorry, leap year au, the title sucks, will make sense if you haven't seen the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-23 18:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10724682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_more_ships_than_friends/pseuds/I_have_more_ships_than_friends
Summary: Arthur is determined to propose to his girlfriend if she won't, even if it that means following her halfway across the world to do it. A Pendragon family tradition dictates that a man must take his lover to Ireland to propose to them, and Arthur intends to follow it. What is meant to be a simple trip, however, quickly takes a turn when Arthur is forced to travel with an infuriating innkeeper.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, I hope you like it! Constructive comments are greatly appreciated.

"Why'd you agree to follow her stupid family tradition," Gwaine calls out from where he's lounged on a chair in the fitting room, chewing loudly on one of his various junk food snacks, "if you're just going to complain about her not proposing?"  
"Because it matters to her, you idiot. I don't want to rush her into anything she's not ready for. It's been her family tradition for centuries, I can't just ignore it because I want to get hitched." I turn and gaze at my reflection in the mirror, attempting to approve the suit for my dinner with Vivian later. I guess it'll have to do, though it is a bit plain.  
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. High and Mighty Arthur, ever the chivalrous one."  
"As opposed to you, the one who sleeps with anything that has a pulse?" His wounded sound of protest would almost make me feel bad, if I wasn't sure he was joking.  
"I object! I am in a committed relationship currently and have not slept with anyone but him in a full two months." I roll my eyes at his proud expression. "But enough about me. Didn't you invite Morgana to come approve your suit because for some reason you need three sets of eyes?"  
"I did, actually. She should be here soon."  
"She scares the shit out of me. I'm pretty sure she wants to kill me."  
"She's my sister and you're my best friend so be nice to her. She doesn't want to kill you. Probably." To be fair, Morgana is fairly intimidating. She's the kind of girl who looks like she could kill a man with her bare hands and wears heels that could easily impale you. Still, she is a wonderful fashion consultant. As if on cue, Morgana shows up in the doorway in all of her pale-skinned, dark-haired, borderline terrifying beauty, with her gossiping expression plainly visible on her face.  
"Arthur, you will never believe who I just witnessed with my very own eyes walking out of Swarovski, carrying a little bag." She saunters up to me, high heels clacking on the floor, with a devious smirk.  
"If it was Lancelot, I call dibs on being flower girl." Morgana sends a brief cold glance of minor disgust in Gwaine's direction, which he promptly cowers from.  
"Oh, I certainly hope it was Lance. He and Gwen are practically married already." Gwen started dating Lance a few months after she and I broke up, and they're the cutest couple I've ever known.  
"Well, one, Gwaine, you're too ugly to be a flower girl. Two, everyone knows Lance is too shy to ask Gwen, and as much as I love her, Gwen is also too shy to even suggest it. Three, if you would both stop being idiots I would tell you who it was." She finishes with her trademark smile that makes most people melt like butter in the sun.  
"Ok, Morgana, tell us. Don't bother with the dramatic pauses and suspense." She sends a classic older sister look in my direction.  
"Vivian." She smiles sweetly, like she knows exactly what reaction this news is causing. I open my mouth to speak but it comes out like more of a squeak of disbelief. Vivian is going to propose?  
"Arthur, you better practice your surprised face." I attempt an expression of shock, which ends up probably looking more pained than surprised if Gwaine and Morgana's cringes are anything to go on.  
"We'll work on it, little brother." Morgana wraps an arm around my shoulder and smooths out some wrinkles in my suit with her free hand. I look in the mirror to check the suit again and am met with her proud grin. I can't believe that tonight Viv might actually propose. Everything is going perfectly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur catches up with his father and updates him on his engagement.

A buzz from my phone jolts me out of deep thought about dinner with Vivian tonight. "Fuck," I mutter to myself as I see it's a text from my father, reminding me that we were getting drinks in an hour as part of his attempt at not being an estranged father. Epically failing. But he's still my dad, and he and Morgana are the only family I have, since mom died in childbirth and I never knew her. Hopefully Dad will respond positively to Vivian proposing. He always seemed to approve of her. Whatever the case, I need to tell him sooner or later. 

 

I slide into a seat at the bar, unsurprised to not see my father there. He's used to having people wait on him, being the head of one of the biggest companies in London. The bartender cleaning glasses a few seats down the bar from me notices me and takes an appreciative glance. She slides over and flashes a flirty smile, one I've seen hundreds of times before. "What do you want, gorgeous? On the house." Her smile turns sultry, but has no effect on me.  
"Sorry, I'm engaged." Her face falls slightly, and of course my father chooses that moment to sit down.  
"Engaged? When did this happen?" His tone is sharp, similar to one he would use when scolding me.  
"Vivian proposed the other day. We didn't want to make a big fuss out of it." I feel bad lying to him, but it's still pretty close to the truth, right?  
"I still think you should have stuck to our traditions instead of adopting hers. Generations of Pendragons have followed the tradition of getting engaged in Ireland. The man takes his lover to Ireland and proposes, it's how me and your mother and your grandparents and your great grandparents got engaged." We've had this argument so many times before I'm almost sure I have it memorized.  
"Father, I've told you before, Vivian wanted to follow her family traditions and I didn't want to pressure her into getting engaged before she was ready, so it seemed best to stick to her traditions." Secretly, I agree with him, but I would never say that. He takes too much pride in being right. We talk for close to half an hour, him updating me on the goings on of his company and me telling him about my job recently. A glance at my watch shows that it's almost 6:00. "I'm sorry Father, I have to go. Viv and I have dinner reservations at 7:00 tonight. Nice catching up." He briefly tries to protest, but then quickly drowns his words with a drink of his beer. I leave my drink untouched on the bar, and walk out the door, not looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters are really short, I promise I'll write more tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's dinner with Vivian doesn't go the way he expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slightly longer chapter, hope y'all like it!

I check my phone for what's probably the hundredth time since I've been here, the clock reading 7:23. Still nothing from Vivian. She said she'd be a few minutes late, not almost a half hour. Before my mind can start running wild with reasons why she's not here, I see a flash of curly blond hair coming in the door. A second glance shows that it is indeed Vivian. She looks stunning, as always, in a gorgeous gold embroidered gown. She sits gracefully in the seat across from me, beaming and curls bouncing. "Arthur, my love. Please don't be cross with me?" She smiles that smile that makes all negative feelings evaporate, leaving only adoration in their place. The way she speaks is so classic, so proper, flowing like music, clearly showing her wealthy British upbringing.  
"I could never be cross with you, my love." I smile back at her, overcome with infatuation. She talks for a few minutes, mostly complaining about her work as a cardiologist, frustrating patients or problems with coworkers. She doesn't pause to let me speak, but I hardly notice. I'm used to listening, and I don't mind. Her problems are bigger than mine, anyways. She finished a rant about a particularly annoying coworker and takes a sip of her wine, giving me a moment to say my customary "That sounds terrible" and sympathetic look. This is pretty much routine for us, she talks, I listen. It works, it's worked for four years and will work when we get married.  
"It is. People just have no respect for their superiors." She huffs in annoyance and takes another drink of wine. With the glass at her mouth, her eyes suddenly go wide and she makes a noise of revelation, as if she just remembered something important. I sit slightly forward in my chair, saying silent prayers that the something is what I think it is. "I almost forgot! I have something for you." She turns in her chair to rummage in her purse and my heart skips a beat. I'm desperately trying to slow my breathing and remember the surprised face I practiced in front of the mirror for an hour before coming. She pulls out a little red bag and places it on the table in front of me, beaming proudly. "Go on, darling, open it!" I'm breathless as I pull out a small square box from the bag, not even noticing that it was too large to be a ring. Imagining all the things she'll say when I take out the ring, the tearful and overjoyed acceptance, the entire restaurant applauding, the wondrous times we'll share, I open the box, ready to use my surprised face. The forced gasp dies in my throat, the smile dying on my face when I see that the contents of the box are not anything close to a ring, but a watch. An exquisitely beautiful, tasteful, and no doubt extremely expensive watch, but still a watch. Not a ring. How could I have been so stupid to get my hopes up? Swallowing back my disappointment, I fake a smile, taking out the watch to admire it.  
"It's beautiful!" She obviously doesn't catch the falseness in my voice or smile, and a wide smile spreads across her face.  
"It has a little clock on the face that shows the time in another country. I set it to show the time in Ireland."  
"Ireland? Why Ireland?" She laughs slightly at my confusion.  
"So you'll always know when you can call me when I'm on my trip to Dublin, you dolt. I did mean to tell you; I really thought I had. It must have slipped my mind." She shrugs her shoulders and reaches out to grab the watch. I stare at it after she fastens it on my wrist, seeing my face with barely concealed sorrow reflected back at me. I barely open my mouth to say something before I'm interrupted by her phone ringing. She rolls her eyes and fishes for her phone in her purse. "Just give me a minute, Arthur, this might be important." With the phone to her ear, she begins talking angrily into it, completely forgetting about me. I stare at a point somewhere to the left of her head, not really processing what I see. She's on the phone for close to 20 minutes, arguing furiously with whoever is on the other end. When she finally hangs up, I snap back to attention, fixing my eyes back on her face.  
"Everything alright?" I prepare for another upset rant about insolent coworkers and how she never gets the respect she deserves, but she only smiles sadly.  
"That was just someone at the company. They couldn't get tickets for everyone for tomorrow, so some people have to fly out tonight m. I have to go and pack, I leave in a few hours." She smiles sympathetically and starts to stand up.  
"Have a good flight." I place a kiss on her cheek when she bends down for one, waving goodbye as she walks away. Sighing, I slump down in my seat. Everything is most definitely not going perfectly. 

 

Once at home, my self-pitying-while-face-planted-on-the-bed is interrupted by my phone buzzing. Groaning, I lift my head up, seeing several texts from Gwaine and Morgana asking me how it went and how I'm feeling. I don't have the energy to deal with that particular issue right now. The whole getting married endeavor seems rather hopeless at this particular moment. What can I do? I agreed to let her propose, and she clearly isn't in any hurry to do so. There's nothing to do but just be content with dating her and hope she'll be ready somewhere down the line. In the midst of a defeated sigh, a lightbulb goes off in my head. Sitting up abruptly, I pull out my phone and dig through my photo album for my parents wedding photos. As I gaze at a picture of the two of them kissing in front of an altar, both holding four-leaf clovers with outstretched arms, I have a sudden revelation. Generations of Pendragons have followed the tradition of getting engaged in Ireland. If every generation before me has done it, then why can't I? I'll fly to Dublin first thing tomorrow, find Vivian, and propose. We're meant for each other, I'm sure of it. I pull up the website for the airport and book a ticket for one direct to Dublin. In a day, I'll be engaged to the love of my life. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos if you enjoyed it, constructive comments are greatly appreciated, I will try to update as often as possible. Thank you all for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's flight to Dublin experiences some minor inconveniences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the dialogue in this chapter is taken from the movie. It's pretty short but I promise I'll write a longer one soon.

My seat on the airplane is between the window and an uptight looking old woman. "Business or pleasure?" Her clipped tone suggests her lack of desire for a friendly conversation, but I don't notice.  
"I'm going to propose to my girlfriend. It's an old family tradition of mine to get engaged in Ireland." Her eyes widen slightly and she clears her throat, obvious to anyone that she's uncomfortable, but not to me.  
"Well! Isn't that nice." I thought for a moment that she might disapprove, but quickly dismissed it.  
"My girlfriend. Vivian. She's already there on business." The woman nods and smiles awkwardly, at a loss for words, so I keep talking to avoid silence. "We've been dating for four years. Four. Years. That's a long time. So I'm not rushing anything. By proposing. It's not a mistake. We're even planning to get an apartment together." I begin babbling about the apartment telling the woman my plans for decorating and remodeling it, not seeing her lean her head against her seat and close her eyes. In the middle of explaining how I want to open up the kitchen more, I glance up and see her asleep, mouth slightly open and quietly snoring. My next words die in my throat and I instead turn to look out the window. There's not much to look at, we're just flying through some clouds. Just when I'm considering trying to go to sleep myself, a voice comes over the loudspeaker.  
"Passengers, this is your captain speaking. There's a bit of bad weather up ahead, so we might experience some turbulence." Mere moments after he says that, the plane shakes violently, throwing me forward in my seat, head colliding with the seat in front of me. Multiple people scream, creating panic throughout the plane. The woman next to me is praying, hands clasped and muttering rapidly under her breath.  
"I'm getting engaged. I'm getting engaged. I am NOT going to die before getting engaged!" My knuckles have gone white from gripping the armrests. Deep breath. Deep breath. The air masks drop down from the ceiling, startling me, and I reach for one quickly. Taking frantic breaths through the air mask, the captain's voice comes over the loudspeaker again.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid we may have underestimated the storm a bit. We will be landing in Cardiff, Wales, as the Dublin is closed, and you will all be able to book connecting flights from there. Thank you for your cooperation." Wales? We can't land in Wales! I'm on a schedule! Vivian is only in Dublin for five more days. I still have to buy a new suit, find a ring, book a restaurant...why does the world hate me right now? 

 

"No flights until tomorrow?" I stare dumbstruck at the woman behind the counter.  
"I believe that's what I said, sir." She smiles at me and starts to call the next person up.  
"No, I'm sorry," cutting her off quickly. "That's not going to work for me." She raises an eyebrow, still smiling. "I'm going to propose to my girlfriend in Dublin, and there's so many things I still have to do. It's an old family tradition to get engaged in Ireland. So, I think you can see why it's important for me to get there as soon as possible." I smile hopefully at her.  
"Of course. I'll just ring up Dublin International and get them to open up a runway especially for Lover Boy here." She smiles condescendingly, and I turn away, dejected. How the hell am I going to get to Dublin on time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the people who left kudos! I appreciate it so much. Next chapter is when Merlin is introduced!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tries to figure out his own way to Dublin, meeting with some complications along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue in this chapter is taken from the movie. I really hate doing that but it introduces Merlin's character really well. Bit of a longer chapter, hope you enjoy!

After taking a bus to the ferry station, I stomp up to the counter, dragging my suitcase behind me. The girl behind the counter looks exhausted, but that's not my problem. I need to get to Dublin, ASAP. "Excuse me, I need a ticket to Dublin." My smile is supposed to be polite but probably comes out looking more desperate.  
"Ferries aren't running, sir." She sounds like she's said this at least a hundred times today. A choked laugh comes out of my mouth, in disbelief of how fucking difficult it is to get a damn ticket.  
"Fine then. I'll get my own damn boat." I spin around on my heel, storming away with chin held high. 

 

I locate a boat driver willing to take me to where I need to go down by the docks outside the ferry station. Once on the boat, it's a choppy and incredibly wet ride, waves constantly splashing on board the small boat, soaking the both of us. After about an hour of the man struggling with the boat, he yells over the noise of the storm that he'll have to drop me off in a nearby town. I don't recognize the name, but I know it's not what I paid for. I briefly try to argue, but a huge bolt of lightning cracks through the sky, effectively cutting off my protests. He leaves me on the beach, suitcase wheels stuck in the sand. Soaking wet and freezing, I trudge up the beach to the road to try and find somewhere to get a taxi. A little ways down the road, there's a little pub called The Court Sorcerer. It doesn't look like much, but there's lit up windows and hopefully a phone. Inside the building, there's four or five old men drinking and a young man behind the counter who looks to be about my age. His sharp cheekbones cast shadows on his face, obscuring some of his features. I clear my throat to get their attention, their chatter dying down. I hear a few of the men mumble "Austrian" or "South African", to which I respond: "Actually, he's British. Arthur, from London." I walk up to the man behind the counter. "Excuse me, is there a taxi service I can call?" He wordlessly places down the glass he was cleaning, turns around, grabs a business card from the counter, and hands it to me. Then he disappears into the back room. I take out my phone, but see that it has 1% battery. "Great. My phone is almost dead," I mumble to myself angrily. One of the men sitting at the bar coughs and points to the back of the room, where a phone sits on a table. I nod in thanks and walk back to the phone, unaware that every eye in the room was trained on me. After putting in the money and punching in the number, I turn my back to the room and hold the phone to my ear. "Hello, I would like a taxi to Dublin. I'm in a weird little pub, I think it's called The Court Sorcerer?" The person on the other end speaks with a thick Irish accent, slightly distorting his words.  
"Sorry, we don't serve blond Brits." A few people in the room chuckle, further confusing me.  
"What do you mean? How do you know the color of my hair?" I whirl around and see the bartender leaning against the doorway to the back room, holding a phone to his ear, smirking. "Of course. You're the taxi service." I flush slightly, embarrassed by all the men in the bar laughing. Placing the phone back, I draw myself up taller. "Then I need you to drive me to Dublin." He raises an eyebrow.  
"Dublin, is it?" I nod at him. "Let me tell you something about Dublin, Arthur from New York. Dublin is a city of buffoons and spoiled brats, pompous imbeciles and useless prats, backstabbing clotpoles. It's where the worst people collect to poison this fair country. I wouldn't drive you to Dublin unless you offered me 500 euro." He places his arms on the counter and leans forward, staring me dead in the eye.  
"Well. Is anyone else willing to go to Dublin for 500?" I glance around the room, everyone remaining disappointingly silent.  
"It's back luck to start a journey on a Friday, miss," one of the men advises.  
"No, it's back luck on a Saturday," one of the other men contradicts.  
"Definitely Sunday," pipes up a man on the other side of the room.  
"Fine. I'll get a taxi in the morning. In the meanwhile," I turn to face the bartender, "could you direct me to the nearest hotel?" He smirks again. "Of course. This is also the hotel. Then can you direct me to a room?" 

 

He leads me upstairs and down a narrow hallway, opening a doorway and gesturing inside to the tiny room. He flips on the light and I wrinkle my nose at the plainness of the room. Noticing my expression, he rolls his eyes and starts to leave. "Wait! I noticed a menu downstairs." He opens his mouth to say something, but I stop him before he can form the words. "Closed. Isn't there an Irish tradition of hospitality and generosity?" He sighs, clearly not in the mood to argue.  
"I'll make you a sandwich." I yell a thanks as he walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. After taking out my phone, I notice that it is indeed dead. I scan the walls looking for an outlet before discovering one on the wall behind the bed. I pry off the cover and stick my charger in, promptly causing the outlet to spark and all the lights to go off. The man throws open the door, staring dumbfounded at me. "What the hell are you doing?"  
"You fried my phone." I held up my now broken iPhone and charger, which he scoffs at.  
"Never mind your bloody mobile, you fried the whole damn village! Dollop head." He spits the last words out harshly, turns on his heel, and slams the door behind him.  
"Idiot." Grumbling under my breath, I pick up the sandwich he left, sniffing it, and discover that it seems fine. I eat the sandwich and lay down in the bed, thinking of everything I'm doing this for. No matter what I have to go through, Vivian is worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to update tomorrow, if I can that will probably be the last update until next week, I am super busy this weekend. I will write whenever I can and get a new chapter up as soon as possible!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur begins his journey with the innkeeper, who seems destined to put him through hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Here's a pretty long chapter to appease you!

I sit up in bed and arch my back, wincing when it cracks. Damned shitty beds. I pull some clothes out of my suitcase and start to get dressed, preparing for the task of finding someone to drive me to Dublin. I've only just gotten my shirt off when the door opens. "I'll drive you to Dublin." It's the innkeeper/bartender/whatever the hell he is. Owner maybe? Doesn't matter. I yank a sheet over my bare chest, not noticing how his eyes appreciatively study my torso.  
"Don't bother. You clearly don't want to, so I won't trouble you."  
"It's not a problem. I need the money, you need a ride. 500 euro, be outside in 10 minutes, Bob." He walks out and closes the door. I let the sheet fall and reach for my shirt. Well, this'll be fun. A long drive to Dublin with an asshole innkeeper who hates Dublin. Great. Just think of Vivian. This is all for Vivian. 

 

10 minutes later, I'm standing outside with my suitcase. A car that looks positively ancient pulls up to the curb and the innkeeper gets out. "Oh, tell me you're kidding."  
"She's a classic. Shut up." I swear the car almost topples when he slams the door. The men from the bar last night are standing on the curb, and they laugh at my disgusted expression. One of them comes up to me.  
"You can't go now, mister. A black cat just crossed your path. 10 years bad luck." He nods knowingly at me.  
"I don't believe in luck." I get in the car and slam the door behind me, hinges creaking all the way.  
"You should, if you're riding in that thing!" The men all chuckle at this. "Good luck Merlin! Don't kill each other." The innkeeper, Merlin, waves at them and bids them goodbye, taking off sharply and throwing me forward in my seat. After a few minutes of nothing but the sounds of shitty Irish music on the radio and Merlin chewing loudly on a sandwich, I finally break the silence.  
"I still have two days. There's plenty of time. I can still go shopping if the stores aren't closed when we get there."  
"You want to go to Dublin to shop?"  
"I'm proposing to my girlfriend. She's here on a business trip. She's a cardiologist. We're moving into the most amazing apartment soon. I actually thought she was going to propose at dinner the other night, because we agreed to follow her family tradition of the woman proposing, but she didn't. And my family has this tradition of proposing to your girlfriend in Ireland, so I just thought, why not?" I stop to take a breath, looking at Merlin for his response. He smiles, mouth full of sandwich, and I grin back. A laugh escapes his mouth, so I start laughing too, in happiness of what's going to happen.  
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" My smile instantly falls. "If your woman wanted to get married, she'd have already proposed, that's a fact. You're just so desperate you had to follow her to Dublin instead of taking no for an answer!" He's laughing while saying all of this, infuriating me. I wrench the sandwich out of his hand and throw it out the open window, mockingly laughing at him as his smile disappears. He glares at me for a moment before cranking up the music. I pull out the tape, look him dead in the eye, and throw it out the window. He slams on the brakes and yells, "Nobody touches my music!"  
"You don't know anything about me or Vivian, you're just a lonely cynic." We both get out of the car and I follow him a little ways down the path to where the tape is.  
"Better that than an idiot. Family tradition, diddly-eye! Will you marry me, diddly-eye? I'm a spoiled Brit, diddly-eye!" He does some weird little Irish jig thing, jumping up and clicking his heels together.  
"Just shut up. Get in the car. I'm not paying you to talk."  
"Sounds good to me, Bob." What the hell is it with this Bob thing? On the way back to the car, I accidentally step in a mud puddle, soaking my shoes and covering them in mud. "Shit! These cost $600."  
"Put them in the wash, they'll be grand." I don't even deem that with a response. In an attempt to clean them off, I lean against the car, which promptly begins to roll down the hill. Merlin starts to chase after it, throwing himself into the car as if that'll stop it. It careens down the road, off the bridge, and into a pond. "Look what you've done! It's going to cost at least 200 to tow her out and there's no way in hell I'm paying it."  
"You will have to murder me before I pay you another dime." He turns to me slowly, with a glare colder than ice.  
"Now that's the best idea you've ever had." I storm away from him and go dig my suitcase out the car. Trudging up the hill with suitcase dragging behind me, Merlin runs up and grabs my arm. "Wait a minute, this is an easy fix. Just find a phone and we'll call the garage and get them to tow the car. Back on the road in no time. Just slow down, will ya?" I give him a long look and then turn around, taking off down the road with him following a few meters behind. A little ways up the road, there's a sign for a bar, where there will hopefully be a phone that I can call for a real taxi on. Inside the bar, I walk up the man behind the counter and ask where the phone is. He gestures to the back corner, where a man has it up to his ear and is speaking animatedly. I go and stand behind him, noticing Merlin come in the door and sit at a table. A man, obviously drunk, comes up to me and leers.  
"You want a drink, gorgeous?" The stench of alcohol is heavy on his breath, making me lean away.  
"No thank you." He only moves closer, pressing me against the wall, his breath hot on my face.  
"Fancy a fuck, sweetheart?"  
"Please leave me alone." He only laughs and starts moving to kiss me, but is wrenched away by someone. Merlin.  
"Leave him be." Merlin, cool as a cucumber, stares the man down.  
"Who the hell are you?"  
"Nobody. Just trying to keep the peace."  
"Keep your peace out of it, pretty boy." The man draws his fist back and punches Merlin square in the face, knocking him backwards. Merlin retaliated, rendering the man unconscious with a few well placed punches. He shakes out his hand, breathing hard.  
"That was...impressive." I am legitimately speechless. Merlin didn't strike me as someone who could hit like that. The bartender comes up and orders us out, which is fair, but I still need a phone. "Can I just...I'll just get my things and go." His glare is fixed on us the entire time we walk out the door. I'm racking my brains for another way to get to Dublin. Maybe a train? Merlin probably knows the nearest train station.  
"She must be something." I'm puzzled as to who he's referring to. Noticing my confusion, he clarifies, "Your girl."  
"Oh, yeah. She is. She's a cardiologist." I'm suddenly at a loss for what to say next. I just nod and looks away, fixing my eyes on the path ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this fic goes on, it's going to be less and less like the movie, because I want to create my own story instead of just changing the names in someone else's. Chapters will probably be about this length from now on. Leave kudos if you enjoyed! It means so much to me!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tries to find a new form of transportation to Dublin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SO SO SORRY I haven't updated in literally forever! I have no excuses. My sincerest apologies to anyone who liked this fic. Here is a relatively long chapter in an attempt to make it up to you. Enjoy!

We finally come across a train station after walking for what feels like forever. The man at the counter looks as bored as possible, visibly brightening when we come in. "When's the next train to Dublin?" Merlin leans against the wall behind me, calm as ever.  
"2 hours and 43 minutes. It's a few bob to Dublin, mind you." There it is again. Why do these Irish people keep saying bob?  
"What do you mean, bob?"  
"Money. Cash. You know." I slowly turn and glare at Merlin, mouthing "I'm going to kill you". He just shrugs and smirks. I decide to ignore him, sighing and handing the man the money for a ticket. 

Merlin comes up beside the bench I'm sitting on outside the train station. "That up there, that's Camelot Castle." He points to the castle up on the hill right across from the train station. "One of the ten wonders of Ireland." He glances at me, but I stare straight ahead. "Only 'bout a 10 minute walk to the top."  
"I don't want to miss the train."  
"What, you too fat to walk up a hill or something?" I whip my head around to glare at him and jump off the bench.  
"I am NOT fat!" He does that stupid smirk of his and starts walking leisurely towards the hill. I hesitate for a split second before following him. When I catch up to him, he doesn't look the least bit surprised. We walk in silence for a minute or two before he asks "So what do you do anyways?"  
"I work at my father's company. He owns a huge company in London, does stuff with oil drilling." He makes an amused expression at that, causing me to furrow my brows. "What's wrong with that? Pays better than being an innkeeper," I say rudely, only feeling a slight twinge of guilt.  
"I bet it does. But at least I like what I do." His face looks far too smug.  
"I like what I do!" I immediately jump to my defense. He just raises an eyebrow in response. "Let me ask you something. If your apartment was on fire, and you had 10 seconds, what would you save?" I just look at him for a moment, confused by the abruptness of the question. "I'm sorry?" "You know. Ten seconds, flames everywhere, what would you save?" I think about it for a few moments, but am unable to come up with a response. "I-I don't know. I've never thought about it," I say defensively. "What about you? Your precious inn is on fire, flames coming up the stairs, bottles exploding everywhere, what do you save?" I'm hoping for an actual response, so I can maybe find out a bit more about the enigma of an Irishman I'm trusting to take me to Dublin. Unfortunately, a smirk and a throwaway "None of your business" is all I get. I sigh in annoyance, then notice we've reached the top and pause to marvel at the beauty of the castle, even in its crumbling state. Merlin goes straight for the staircase. I follow him to the base of the stairs, examining it to see if it's safe. "Are you sure we can climb on these?" I call after him. His head pops into the opening at the top of the stairs.  
"Of course. I'm fine, aren't I?" I take one last apprehensive glance at the steps before carefully climbing up them, trying to be as careful as possible. I walk over to where Merlin is leaning against the ledge, staring into the distance, and stop next to him. Any comment I had dies in my throat as I look out at the view. It's truly beautiful, lush green land in every direction, trees clumped together occasionally, train tracks stretching out of sight, the setting sun casting an ethereal glow over everything. "You know, there's a story about this place." Merlin's voice breaks the trance I'm in. "There used to be a great kingdom in Ireland, where King Padric and Prince Ardal lived. Prince Ardal was to be married to a princess from a faraway kingdom, Princess Bidelia, but he didn't love her. The prince and his servant, Meriel, had been in love for many years, but of course he couldn't marry a servant. So the night before Ardal and Bidelia were to be married, the prince ran away with Meriel. They ran from place to place, only ever spending a night or two somewhere, trying to outrun the people Bidelia had sent to find them. Finally, the trackers gave up, and Ardal and Meriel had arrived at this castle. So here, when Ardal was finally free of his betrothal," he turned to look at me, "they consummated their love." He finishes his story with a slight smile. After I've processed what he said, something dawns on me.  
"You're trying to chat me up. Oh my god!" He makes an indignant face at my remark. "I'm the prince who's going to get married to someone, and you're the servant who whisks me away the night before."  
"I'm definitely not chatting you up, you cabbage head." He scoffs and turns away from me.  
"You had to make up a whole story? God, you're such a girl's petticoat." I laugh at his stupidity, moving back to staring at the view.  
"That is an outdated insult, and you're an arrogant ass." I laugh at his deflection, stopping abruptly when I hear a train whistle. "Oh no." I take off running, throwing all care I had before to the wind as I race down the stairs. A drizzle had started when we were on top of the castle and it's escalated into a full on downpour as I try to run down the hill, Merlin close behind me. My feet go out from underneath me as I slip on a patch of mud, now sliding uncontrollably down the hill, mud flying everywhere and splattering all over me. Apparently Merlin made the same mistake I did, because he's sliding right behind me. When we finally reach the bottom of the hill, I gradually slow to a stop, and Merlin slams into me, tangling our bodies together. I look to see if the train is still there and see it pulling away. I turn my head to tell Merlin and notice our faces are inches away from each other. Water droplets are running down his face, dripping off the end of his nose onto my face. Mud is streaked on his face, his lips slightly parted from heavy breathing, chest rising and falling against mine. His gaze flicks down to my lips, so quickly I might have imagined it. For a split second, I consider just moving my face those few inches, moving our lips together...but I quickly dismiss the ridiculous thought. I'm in love with Vivian. I'm proposing to her. We're going to be perfect and happy and have a perfect and happy life, why would I ever mess that up? I shove against him and he rolls off of me, standing up and offering a hand out. I ignore him and push myself off the ground, running over to the conductor.  
"Just missed the train, I'm afraid. Next one is in two days if you're willing to wait." Filled with frustration, I whirl around to face Merlin.  
"One of the ten wonders of Ireland? God, you just had to, didn't you? Now I won't make it in time, and it's all your fault!" I scream the last words at him, but he doesn't react.  
"Calm down, we can figure this out. Come with me, I can help you two." The conductor steps in between me and Merlin, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. I glare one last time at Merlin before turning and following the conductor up the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter. New one will hopefully be up soon, and I swear I'll try to update much more regularly. Kudos motivates me to write more, please leave kudos if you liked it. Comments make my day and I will always respond.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Merlin are forced to put on an act that may reveal some true feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is by far the longest chapter so far, so I hope you enjoy!

I walk a few paces behind the conductor, Merlin trailing at a safe distance behind me, a fair ways down the narrow winding road until we finally reach a small house tucked away in a little grove of trees. It's quite old fashioned, stone walls, thatched roof, ivy crawling up the walls, smoke drifting from the chimney on the side of the cozy little house. It's obviously less posh than I'm used to, but it certainly looks like it'll do. The conductor leads us in the door, right into the kitchen, where a woman with grey hair tied back in a braid is standing at the sink, washing dishes. She turns her head around when we walk in, her face breaking into a loving smile when she sees the conductor. "Gaius, my love!" She dries her hands on a dish towel laying next to the sink and goes over to the conductor, Gaius, and pulls him into a kiss. Gaius pulls away from her with an expression of such complete and total adoration that I feel the sudden urge to look away, as not to intrude on this intimate moment. Gaius turns to me and Merlin with an arm around the woman.  
"Gentlemen, this is my wife Alice." She extends a hand to me.  
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I'm Arthur." I put on the most polite smile possible and shake her hand.  
"No need for that, you may call me Alice." Merlin introduces himself and shakes her hand with a courteous bow of his head. "I had a couple come here about a half hour ago, looking for a room. I would have been happy to oblige, but they weren't married." My heart rate quickens. "Proper is proper, rain or no rain." She turns to the two of us with a smile. "So it's Mr. And Mr...?" I blurt out "Pendragon" at the same time Merlin says "Emrys". We exchange a glance and I quickly try to do damage control.  
"Pendragon-Emrys." I search with my hand for a brief second before finding Merlin and drawing him in, putting my arm around his shoulders. He quickly catches on, wrapping an arm around my waist, sending a shiver through me that I hope he didn't notice. We both flash a smile at Gaius and Alice.  
"Excellent! I voted for the law, you know. We both did. Well, you'll have a room for the night if you want it."  
"Thank you very much, Alice. Your hospitality is much appreciated." She beams and gestures for us to follow her up a set of stone steps next to the kitchen. Up the stairs, there's a hallway with three doors. She takes us through the first one, and inside there's a small room with one bed and a shower with a curtain. Wonderful. I force a smile and thank Alice again.  
"For dinner tonight, I'm making a nice haggis. Nothing like a good warm serving of organs on a rainy day!" She smiles so kindly I force myself to choke down my gag. Thank god Merlin steps in to save the day.  
"You know, Alice, I was thinking, because of how kind you've been to us, that perhaps we could cook for tonight." I breathe a sigh of relief that I won't be forced to eat innards for a meal. I hear voices coming from downstairs and Alice perks up.  
"Sounds like we'll be having another couple staying! Well, I'll give you two a moment to get settled and then you can start on dinner." Merlin and I both glance at the one bed and then at each other.  
"I'll flip you for it," he suggests. "Heads I win, tails you lose." I agree,and he takes out a coin and flips it into the air. I check it as soon as it lands. Heads. Bugger. He grins and flops onto the bed, placing his hands behind his head and getting quite comfortable. What an arse.  
"So I'm sleeping in the shower?" He just nods cheerfully, still grinning. "Fine. Now that that's decided, shall we go cook?"

Merlin and I agreed to make shepherd's pie after only a bit of arguing. I start cutting up the carrots after peeling them and Merlin grabs the knife from my hand. "What, were you raised in a bloody barn? It says to dice them, not destroy them." I roll my eyes at him.  
"Excuse you, I'm perfectly capable of doing this."  
"Just let me help you," he says in a lower and softer tone. He places the knife in my hand and grabs my hand, quickening my heart rate for some reason. He guides my hand through the motions until I think I've got it down. I turn to thank him, and see his eyes staring intently at me, lips slightly parted and cheeks flushed. After a brief moment of eye contact, I pull away and mumble a thanks. He clears his throat and goes back to preparing the food. When everything is minced and diced and all that, we put the dish in the oven and set on making a salad for a side dish. With only a few slightly awkward moments of accidental hand brushing, we finish with dinner. Pride swells in my chest when we place it on the table and everyone exclaims in delight and immediately begin remarking about how wonderful a job we did. The couple who was also staying the night introduced themselves as Elena, a very pretty woman with loosely curled blonde hair, and Mithian, an extremely striking dark haired woman with prominent cheekbones. After finishing the meal, Gaius brings out a bottle of wine and pours everyone a glass.  
"It was a gift at our wedding. 44 years, but it feels like only yesterday." Gaius plants a kiss on Alice's lips. We all raise our glasses in a toast before drinking.  
"The secret to a long and loving relationship like that," Elena begins, "is all about the kiss. Kiss like it's the first time and the last time, no matter what." She turns to smile at Mithian before leaning in for a quick and chaste kiss, but quickly turns into something close to a heavy snogging session. Merlin clears his throat uncomfortably and they spring apart, faces flushed.  
"Well, come on then, you two. It's your turn. Show us how it's done," Gaius prompts.  
"Oh don't worry, we're grand. Quite shy, this one is." Merlin gestures to me.  
"Extremely shy," I agree.  
"You're among friends, nothing to be shy about. You're young and in love, anyone can see that," Alice exclaims. Merlin pecks a quick kiss on my cheek and I smile, hoping that'll be enough. "Well, if that's a kiss, it's a wonder you're still married."  
"Come on then, a real kiss," Gaius says. I'm trying to think of excuses when suddenly Merlin gently grabs my face and presses his lips against mine. I'm taken aback at first, staying immobile and unresponding, but slowly I move my hand to his face and rest it there. It's passionate and gentle and intimate all at once, and for some reason all I can think of is how soft his lips feel against mine. I unconsciously lean forward to deepen the kiss and he immediately pulls away. I turn my face away and stare down at the napkin in my lap, flushing with embarrassment and something else I don't want to identify. "Now that's a kiss!" Everyone agrees, then go back to normal conversation like nothing had happened. But everything had just happened, far too much for me to process. I force a smile and continue talking with the rest of the group, furiously avoiding Merlin's eyes the entire rest of the time. 

I pop in the shower to use it for its actual purpose, to get all the residual mud off from my tumble down the hill and keep my hair looking how it's supposed to. While I'm standing underneath the hot spray of water, my thoughts can't help but drift towards the kiss. I lightly touch my lips, remembering what it felt like to have Merlin's lips pressed there. Just when my mind is starting to wander to thoughts about where else his lips could go, suddenly I'm hit by a realization. I furiously shut off the water and wrap a towel around myself. I throw the shower curtain open and storm towards where Merlin is laying on the bed. "Very clever, you git. Heads you win, tails I lose? Cheaters forfeit. Get out." He shrugs in defeat and hops off the bed and walks over to the shower.  
"That's fair. No peeking, you can see right through the curtain," he says with a smirk.  
"Oh, can you," I say sarcastically. He only bites his lip and smiles wider in response. "Can you?" My expression turns from sarcastic to indignant. His only response is, "No looking," and he shuts the shower curtain. A little while later when I'm about to go to sleep, I've just pulled off my shirt when the shower curtain opens. I instinctively pull the covers up to my neck, covering my bare chest.  
"It's a bit damp in there. Mind budging over just for the night?" He makes puppy dog eyes at me and I can't help but give in.  
"Alright then, just don't fidget too much or you're back in the shower." He nods in agreement and flops on the bed next to me.  
Merlin breaks the silence by saying, "You know, I'll have to charge you for the overnight fee. So that's 500 starting, plus 100 for the room, plus 100 for the fee."  
"50," I say without hesitation.  
"75 it is. 675 euro," he says smugly.  
"Whatever. If it's all about the cash for you." I roll over onto my side so I'm facing away from Merlin. "Good night." Merlin echoes me and turns off the bedside lamp. I can feel the heat of his body next to me, can hear the covers rustling as he rolls onto his side as well. I slowly move so I'm laying on my back, and a quick glance to the side shows that Merlin has done the same. Once again, I start thinking about his lips against mine, no matter how hard I try to dismiss the thoughts, they keep coming back. Rolling over onto my side so I can get a better look at Merlin, I'm surprised to find a pair of blue eyes staring at me. We hold eye contact, the tension building, and all I can think of is how easy it would be to just lean slightly forwards and capture his lips, just to get that feeling again. When I'm just about to, the reminder of what I'm actually here for slaps me in the face. Vivian. I'm jolted out of my stupor and immediately roll over onto my other side, as does Merlin. Soon I'll be in Dublin, and finally all my dreams can become reality. I just need to deal with Merlin for a day or two, and then it's back to being me and Vivian, like it should be. Perfect. Happy. Together. I close my eyes and somehow drift into a peaceful sleep, and if my dreams are filled with blue eyes, black hair, a slightly scruffy chin, and sharp cheekbones, instead of blonde hair and curves, I'll just choose to forget that in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, kudos and comments motivate me to write long chapters like this, so please don't forget if you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to update as often as possible, as soon as I get a schedule going I will put it up.


End file.
